Flag Football at Nationals

Two Flag Football Teams to Represent ESU at Nationals

Emporia State University’s long history with intramural sports doesn’t include a national championship. That may soon change.

Two of ESU’s mens flag football teams will compete Dec. 18-23 at the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) national championships at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Those teams, dubbed ESU Back 2 Back and the ESU Ball Monkeys, were the top squads in the university’s campus league this year.

Four intramural teams from ESU have previously reached the semifinal round of the national playoffs: two in flag football and two in basketball. Should one of this year’s squads win the national championship, it would receive a trophy and a commemorative banner to hang in the university’s recreation center.

“That would be pretty awesome,” said Craig Turner, ESU’s assistant director of recreation services.

ESU participates in NIRSA’s fourth region, which includes teams from universities and colleges in Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahomaand Texas. Because the regional tournament was played at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi — a 12-hour drive from Emporia — ESU skipped that round and paid to enter its flag football teams directly into the national tournament in Stillwater.

Most intramural flag football competitions use a seven-on-seven format, with 10 players on their rosters. (NIRSA’s co-ed games use an eight-on-eight format.) ESU’s NCAA Division II football team provided the intramural students this fall with jerseys to wear during games. The campus football league plays its regular-season games at the practice fields adjacent to the Hornets’ soccer pitch and holds its championship games at the Hornets’ Welch Stadium.

“There are times in our leagues where they're just having a good time, but they definitely get really competitive,” Turner said. “And these national and regional tournaments get very competitive.”

Last year’s flag football national championships, held in Round Rock, Texas, featured 44 teams in four divisions (unified, men, women and co-rec). Teams from 31 higher education institutions across 15 states participated. The University of Nebraska (unified), the University of Florida (women), Georgia College (men) and the University of Georgia (co-ed) won their division titles.